CMDS Canada partners with Education Congo, formerly known as the North American Liaison Bureau, as they work towards a strong and healthy Congo through Education. We featured Education Congo in our December 2017 issue of FOCUS Magazine. Please read that feature here.

Envision a university in the heart of Africa which has grown from 3 - 8,000 students over 50 years. This is the Université Protestante au Congo (UPC) in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo. Founded by various Protestant denominations, the University’s student bodyrepresents Congo’s diverse population with over 50% of the student body being women. From the original School of Theology, the University has now expanded to include Schools of Business, Law and most recently, the School of Medicine. The Medical School at the University has graduated three classes of doctors to date. 2016 saw 89 new doctors take the Hippocratic Oath after eight years of medical school, including a one-year internship in a rural hospital. In keeping with its mission, UPC is the only university in Congo whose medical school's mission is to train physicians who are committed to serving the rural population of the country, where 75% of the Congolese population lives, but less than 20% of the doctors practice. Spend a few minutes with UPC's Medical Interns on their morning rounds at the Christian Medical Institute of the Kasai (IMCK)/Good Shepherd Hospital in Tshikaji, DRC.

Education Congo has also supported the rural hospitals in Kimpese, Tshikaji and Vanga, where the University students spend their internships by supplying equipment and doing building upgrades.

Because there was a need, Education Congo was established as a U.S.-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit which raises awareness and support for Congo. Many of the University students do not have the money for the annual tuition of only $650-$850. During the 2015-2016 school year, over 100 students received full or partial scholarship funds from Education Congo.

Canadian donors, please make contributions to support scholarship funds and/or special projects at the University through CMDS so you can receive a charitable receipt. Go to the CMDS Canada donation page and then click "Add Other Donations" button. A menu will pop up that will allow you to select "Education Congo". Once you've selected "Education Congo", simply complete the rest of the form as normal. In the Questions/Comments area of the from, please let indicate if they are authorized to pass on your donor information and gift details to Education Congo. If you do this we can be directly in touch with you and ensure the donation gets to the right place.
Thank you for helping Congo grow strong through education!
For more information about the University, please visit the Education Congo website. View our most recent newsletter.